Aboriginal activist Rosalie Kunoth-Monks talks social equality
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Rosalie Kunoth-Monks, Aboriginal activist and former actress (best known for her lead role in the iconic Australian film Jedda), responds to a viewer question regarding the documentary Utopia,' social equality and unproductive white guilt.Courtesy of ABC.

news.com.au

10 Jun 2014

News

Central Australian indigenous leader Rosalie Kunoth-MonksSource: ABC

ACTOR and Aboriginal elder Rosalie Kunoth-Monks has launched a deeply moving defence of her traditional way of life stating “I am not the problem”.

The actor who starred as Jedda in Charles Chauvel’s classic Australian film of the same name, was praised on Twitter last night for delivering one of her most eloquent and passionate speeches yet, on the television show Q&A.

The show last night featured prominent older panellists including primatologist Jane Goodall, art educator Betty Churcher, Sydney Peace Foundation founder Stuart Rees as well as conservative intellectual and former Liberal MP Peter Coleman.

Discussion included whether John Pilger’s documentary about the Aboriginal people Utopia was helpful in contributing to reconciliation or was just indulging in white guilt.

Peter Coleman, former editor of Quadrant, said he thought Pilger’s documentary was dreadful and that the award-winning author hated Australian society.

“I think the impact of it is to reject all of the effort that has been put in to advancing this Aboriginal cause,” Mr Coleman said.

Assimilation is the way forward: Peter Coleman comments as part of Q&A panelSource: Supplied

Earlier he highlighted the programs aimed at assisting Aboriginal people, “church missions, government welfare, the intervention, apologies, billions of dollars and so on”.

“The problem has not been solved and it’s not going to be easy to solve,” Mr Coleman said.

He suggested that his own solution would be “assimilation integration”.

“I mean, the full monty, not just schooling or something, but intermarriage, all forms of integration.”

But Ms Kunoth-Monks, who remained silent during Mr Coleman’s remarks, visibly bristled at being described as the “problem”.

Rosalie Kunoth-Monk with Robert Tudawali in a scene from the 1954 film Jedda.Source: News Limited

“You know I have a culture, I am a cultured person,” she said, peppering her speech with words in her native language.

“I am not something that fell out of the sky for the pleasure of somebody putting another culture into this cultured being,” she said. “John (Pilger) shows what is an ongoing denial of me.”

“I am not an Aboriginal, or indeed indigenous, I am ... (a) first nation’s person. A sovereign person from this country.

“I speak my language, and I practise my cultural essence of me.

“Don’t try and suppress me, and don’t call me a problem, I am not the problem.”

Afterwards Twitter lit up with praise for Ms Kunoth-Monks’ words.

I don&#39;t know what to say about Rosalie Kunoth-Monks. Who am I to even commend her? I am so impacted. Let her speak, that I might listen.

Comments on this story

The Barkly Magpie of Tennant Creek Posted at 9:20 AM June 12, 2014

I find The Onion's comments interesting: "Somewhere in the middle would be nice." Please tell me where. Maurie Ryan is my brother in the blackfella way, close mate in the whitefella way. We always joke that we are not white enough, not black enough and not brown enough. News Limited describes Peter Coleman as a Liberal and an editor; the same journalists always describe Maurie as an "Aboriginal activist". Rosalie (my wife's aunty) and Maurie are eloquent, passionate and proud. They know their lore and their law and most importantly, know the difference between it. Rosalie and Maurie have culture, education and knowledge. They are not drunks or violent and don't live in town camps. They are not white. How dare they.

Truth Hurts of Darwin Posted at 7:26 AM June 12, 2014

Yes Roselie you are educated and cultured and no you are not the problem. But you have to as an elder work out how to fix the problem of the generation who has come after you who are not educated and live with no prospect of work, a generation that can look forward to welfare payments, bad health and not much else. That is the problem and it is elders like you who have to come up with the solution. Successive governments continue to fail, how will you turn this around ?

Waiting of Kununurra Posted at 1:59 PM June 11, 2014

"Oh , I thought you were talking about me " the art lady says . Typical of our white privileged population who just can't seem to get off themselves even when just been explained to how the first Australians are NOT the problem .

CLP cabinet minister John Elferink charged taxpayers more than $45,000 for a ‘study trip’ to the United States over the Christmas holidays, including visits to Cape Canaveral Space Base and Universal Studios.